How did Mexico get to the Copa Libertadores?
Starting from the fact that Mexico belongs to Concacaf, a confederation that brings together teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, it is a parallel organization to Conmebol that focuses only on South America, that already marks different calendars and some criteria for the organization of tournaments. .
Mexican clubs reached the Libertadores in 1998, after the Venezuelan Football Federation decided to put its two places for the tournament up for sale (by that time only two teams from each country and the defending champion entered). In that way, By paying for these spaces, the Mexicans disputed the Copa Pre Libertadores against the champion and runner-up of Venezuela.
Through that home run in which the best two entered the group stage. From what is now called Liga MX came: Guadalajara and América in 1998, Club Monterrey in 1999, Atlas and América in 2000, Cruz Azul in 2001, América and Monarcas Morelia in 2002 and Pumas UNAM and Cruz Azul in 2003.
Why did Liga MX stop participating in Libertadores?
The progress of the Mexican teams was important; For 2000, America and 2001, Cruz Azul, became protagonists of the South American contest. América was able to eliminate Boca Juniors during a semifinal and Cruz Azul stayed in the final against the Xeneizes on penalties after winning at La Bombonera. América returned to a semifinal in 2002, knocking out Monarcas Morelia in the quarterfinals.
The UANL Tigres were the last Mexicans to reach a final and it was against River Plate in Buenos Aires. They fell 3-0, although it would have been up to the Monterrey natives to define that final at home by the points added, however the Conmebol regulations required that the tournament be defined in South America, so the second leg was in Buenos Aires and not in San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León. On the other hand, If a Mexican won the Libertadores, he did not get that quota for the Club World Cup: that place would correspond to the South American who had gone the furthest, not very positive conditions at the end of the day.
On the other hand, Libertadores offered a prize of 25 million dollars, an amount much higher than that offered by Concacaf for its confederation tournament, which does not reach 1 million dollars.
Pumas UNAM, Toluca and Puebla were the last Liga MX teams to be part of the tournament, the rules became complicated and made participation unsustainablethis so as not to have calendar problems in their local league: “Mexican clubs would have to play 14 games in two months, there is no club that can withstand something like that,” said Enrique Bonilla, then president of Liga MX.
The Mexican teams paid a lot ratingadvertisers and a new streak to Conmebol that several places combined would not achieve, so they often expressed themselves in the utilitarian way in which they gave “ball” to those of Liga MX in a tournament that would hardly attract local benefits.